How much should a local newsletter charge per lead?
Short answer
Usually $20 to $50 per lead, priced off your own acquisition math. If about one in 50 subscribers says yes to an offer and a subscriber costs you 50 cents, a lead costs you $25 to produce. A partner of mine charges realtors $30. Another opened at $25 for local services and plans to raise it once conversion is proven.
Price a lead against what it costs you to make one. Not against a rate card.
What does a lead cost me to produce?
Here's my rough math. About one in 50 subscribers says yes to a given offer. Acquisition runs around 50 cents a subscriber. That means 50 subscribers, $25, for one lead. Anything below $25 a lead and you're paying to give leads away.
Your numbers will differ. Do the math with your own cost per subscriber and your own yes rate before you quote anyone.
What are other operators charging?
| Lead type | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Realtor lead from a signup survey | $30 | A partner operator |
| Floor ask to a realtor or insurance agent | $20 | My live walkthrough example |
| Local services pilot (spa, pet boarding, insurance, entertainment) | $25 opening price | A pilot with partners |
| After 45 days of free leads | $50 | A partner's idea |
| Booked home-service call | $30 to $40 | A partner's proposal |
| Restaurant redemption | About $10 | A partner's proposal |
In the pilot, two insurance agents a partner pitched at $25 a lead reacted well, and he thinks it could go to $100 if conversion holds. Another partner mentioned an insurance contact who pays about $100 a lead elsewhere. Those are his numbers, not results I've seen.
How do I pitch per-lead pricing?
Frame it as a choice: pay for leads, or pay for a slot where you might get zero leads. Per-lead feels safe to a small business owner.
Then let them do the math. If they close 25% of leads and a customer is worth thousands, a $30 lead is cheap. On leads we've handed to one advertiser, they close about 25%.
Can I charge more for some audiences?
Yes. A B2B local audience of business owners and six-figure earners justifies a higher cost per lead, and ad rates scale up with it. A lead from a homeowner with a high income is worth more to an estate planner than a general reader is to a pizza shop.
Where do the leads come from?
Mostly from a survey right after someone subscribes. A homeowner question leads to "interested in buying or selling?" A yes fills out the realtor's form. One newsletter I run the system for in Canada was getting about one real estate lead a day from a single "do you own or rent" question. The manager asked me to turn it off because she had no realtor to send them to. Line up the buyer before you turn on the faucet.
I set this up with greetform. In a pilot, homeowners who claim an offer like a free insurance-cost review send an email to both the team and the partner agent at once.
Can I resell leads I already have?
Maybe. After a recent campaign produced apartment leads, I floated reselling them at around $10 each. Demand and revenue are unproven. Treat that as an idea, not a price.
Answered by TJ Larkin. From live product walkthroughs, pilot calls with local newsletter partners, and my own numbers in 2025 and 2026. Prices labeled as a partner's are their figures. Last updated .